# when is pipe tobacco finished?



## sfumato1002 (Apr 15, 2006)

Sorry about the title, I don't know how esle to title this. Anyway, Im talking about burnned tobacco that has not turnned to white ash. Today I had a great smoke, I did not dump the ashes at all So I did not know how deep I smoked my bowl. After a while of smoking it the pipe went out, I relighted my pipe but the smoke was not as sweet anymore, so threw away all the white ash but there was some back burnned tobacco half ways to the bottom of the bowl and the tobacco was a little moist in the bottom. I relit that but the sweetness was gone of the smoke. Anyway, my question is, Does the tobacco have to turn to "white ash" before it is considered finished or could it also be finished if the tobacco is just burnned and black. I just want to know to see if I should smoke the burnned black tobacco and turn it into "ash" to the bottom to build the cake, or if the burnned black tobacco already did the job and Im done with the bowl. thanks. I just want to be confident Im doing the right thing all the time, so sorry if these questions seem silly.


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## Don Fernando (Jan 1, 2000)

as a noob to pipe smoking myself, i often wonder that as well.

generally, if i have time, i will only have a tiny bit of moist, unburned tobacco at the bottom when i am finished.

other times, if i have less time, or feel rushed for some reason, i will stop trying to relight it when it goes out twice in a row in under 30-60 seconds(usually due to moisture or 'gurgling'); or if it becomes bitter.

this is my noob answer: 
it's done when you feel it's done. if it becomes bitter, or if you find it a pain to relight it...don't bother, because it's then become a nuisance instead of a luxury. :2


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## sfumato1002 (Apr 15, 2006)

celticgent said:


> as a noob to pipe smoking myself, i often wonder that as well.
> 
> generally, if i have time, i will only have a tiny bit of moist, unburned tobacco at the bottom when i am finished.
> 
> ...


Thanks celticgent. Thats a great answer and I needed to hear that. I was just worried that maybe I would not build a cake layer in the bottom of the bowl, but I think I will build a cake sooner or later. So I guess when the taste is gone or it just tastes bitter it's over. I mean sometimes I can relight the pipe when its a little more than half ways down, but since the tobacco is all burnned black there is no taste, just smoke, so like you said, if it's a nuisance, its over. Thanks again.


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## Neuromancer (Sep 7, 2005)

Calling Scott M...


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## SUOrangeGuy (Feb 22, 2006)

I'm seasoning a pipe right now and I switch between full bowls that almost never burn all the way to the bottom and some 1/2 bowls that I can get to completely burn to ash. The cake on the inside of my pipe is coming in quite nicely.


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## sfumato1002 (Apr 15, 2006)

SUOrangeGuy said:


> I'm seasoning a pipe right now and I switch between full bowls that almost never burn all the way to the bottom and some 1/2 bowls that I can get to completely burn to ash. The cake on the inside of my pipe is coming in quite nicely.


Thanks SUOrangeGuy, I will try and smoke some half bowls to help build some cake in the bottom. thanks again.


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## Desert Rat (Dec 19, 2005)

As your technique improves (or not) the amount of tobacco turned to white ash will increase. Baccy at the right moisture content packed just right and puffed on slowly in a decent pipe will incinerate at an even rate to the bottom of the bowl.

Bottom line as stated above is not to worry too much and quit the bowl when the smoke is no longer satisfying.


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## Alpedhuez55 (Dec 16, 2005)

I am getting better at this. But once in a while I still find a big clump of unsmoked tobacco at the bottom after I think it is done.


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## fitzsmoke (Mar 9, 2006)

Good advice from all...I don't smoke any tobacco that tastes bad. Aromatics and so-called "Drugstore" blends tend to go sour more quickly than an English or a Flake-type. There seems to be a great deal of pride with some pipers that they smoke it all. I'm not of that school. If I am enjoying the smoke, it goes all the way down. (watch out for coals on the tongue!) It seldom happens that way for me. Usually there is a small clump of tarred-up, somewhat wet tobacco at the bottom (called dottle) that the majority of pipers toss. Sherlock Holmes was reputed to gather these dottles when running out of regular tobacco and smoke them!
:u


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